Multiple Infinities
by bittersaccharine
Summary: Valentine's day has dawned over Kamiyama High. The Classics Club sit and watch as Young Love blooms around them and between their own. As their second year nears its end, Houtarou, Eru, Satoshi, and Mayaka have yet to feel the pinch of cupids bow. A Houtarou/Eru and Satoshi/Mayaka kind of story.
1. Valentines

**Chapter 1**

{Valentine }

* * *

It was a cold morning that dawned Valentine's Day, the day the girls of the class would give out chocolate to someone they liked. The bell rang and the girls scuttled around to approach the person they wanted to give the chocolate to. Houtarou sat quietly on his seat near the farthest corner of the room, next to the window, which he stared at as the snow started to fall. He wasn't expecting to receive any in the first place; moreover, it would drain his energy by the time White Day comes around. Satoshi waltzed in, pulled up a chair and sat next to Houtarou. Houtarou sighs and then turns to his friend, "It's Valentine's day, again."

"So it seems." Satoshi replied. Satoshi was the one with a long history of Valentine's day dramas, which Houtarou finds exhausting to bring up, but does so anyway.

"I hope man up this time. If you truly care for Ibara, you shouldn't hurt her feelings anymore."

Satoshi looked down and smiled. "Yeah, you made that quite clear the last Valentine's day." He paused and played with the sleeves of his jacket. "I told her then that I prefered that we take it slow. I'm just glad Mayaka understands."

"Remember, if you hurt those two again, I'll probably have to hit you."

"I know." Satoshi laughs.

Speaking of Mayaka, she was nowhere around the classroom during break. In the next room, Class A, she was chatting with Chitanda while eating some of the treats Chitanda had brought. "I'm afraid he'll reject it."

"I don't think that will happen this time. You have been in this steady relationship right? Fukube-san is better than that. He's probably better prepared now." Chitanda beamed at her, hoping that it will reassure her of their feelings.

"You're probably right." Suddenly, Ibara cheers up. "By the way Chii-chan, are you giving anyone chocolate?"

"Ah, no… Our family doesn't really give out anything even if it were Valentine's Day."

"I see. That's understandable." Mayaka replied. Chii-chan leaned in and started sniffing her. "Umm, Chii-chan?"

"You smell nice." She withdrew and sat upright. The girls laughed.

"My mom and I went shopping the other day and found a nice fragrance. Do you like it? It reminds me of spring."

"Yes! It's wonderful."

—o0o—

It was still snowing, so Houtarou decided to stay in school for a while. Chitanda entered the room of Class B and found Houtarou before heading to the clubroom. As they walk up to the Geology Prep room, Chitanda asks, "Do you think those two will be okay?"

Houtarou felt obliged to answer this question. "They'll be fine. Satoshi knows the consequences."

Chitanda wasn't quite sure if she understood the last statement but she went on with it anyway. She slid open the door to the club room and found that Satoshi was already there, sitting on the chair on the left side of the table nearest the door. He was still wearing his blue letterman jacket. He looked slightly ruddy; perhaps it was from the cold.

They entered and sat on opposite sides of the table, with Houtarou sitting next to Satoshi. Chitanda and Houtarou looked at each other trying to convey a message with their eyes. Houtarou knew what her protuberant iridescent eyes meant. Her eyes exclaimed 'I'm curious!' Houtarou wrote on a piece of scrap paper that was lying around the table folded it and slid it towards her. She opened it and read: _"I'll walk you home. Then, we'll talk."_

Chitanda smiles at Houtarou. Satoshi was _very_ interested in what was going on. "Is this some kind of confession?" He kids and chuckles to the side, which made Chitanda blush even though she knew what was written on the paper. Houtarou steps on Satoshi's foot in retaliation.

"Fukube-san, you smell nice today," Chitanda commented. "Like cherries in the spring."

Satoshi, dumbfounded, smiled and thanked her. Somehow Houtarou felt like something was off though everything seemed normal. Ibara had library duty today so they weren't expecting her to be up in the clubroom. Having that said, he couldn't put a finger on it but something really did feel off. Houtarou stares into space and plays with his bangs. After listening to Satoshi blabber on about miscellaneous facts and gossip about the other clubs, Houtarou thoughts swam and among those thoughts were along the lines of Satoshi's relationship issues. Satoshi looks at the clock and stands up. "I'm heading out. I'll see you guys tomorrow." He waved back and rushed out.

It stopped snowing ten minutes later and both of them found that it was the perfect time to leave. Chitanda fixed her things and so the two went out. They locked the door behind them and Chitanda, looking around to see if Satoshi had gone, turned to Oreki and said, "I'm worried about her."

"Don't be. Ibara is probably on cloud nine right now." They started walking down the stairs.

"How could you tell?" Chitanda asks. "I'm curious!"

Luckily, Houtarou had prepared his speech beforehand when Satoshi was yakking on about something else. "Well it wasn't easy. Satoshi's hard to read." After they put on their shoes and retrieve their bikes, Houtarou continued, "Remember that you said Satoshi smelled nice? I am going on the assumption that Ibara had the same scent."

Chitanda's eyes widened. "Oh yeah! They both smell like spring."

"With that said, that can only mean two things: either, Satoshi started wearing the same girly perfume as Ibara or Satoshi held Ibara close and long enough for the scent to transfer. Which one do you think is most likely to happen?"

She laughed. "The second." Chitanda said.

"Right. Then I also noticed he had more color on his face. At first, I thought it was just the weather making him flushed with rosy cheeks but when I noticed that his lips were also slightly tinted with slight pink gloss I thought otherwise. I realized Satoshi doesn't get ruddy often."

"Mayaka-san usually wears cherry scented lipbalm…" Chitanda gasps. "Do you think they did… the thing?"

Oreki stops to gape at her. "No, I'm surprised you'd think that but Ibara is not a hit and run kind of person and I doubt Satoshi had information in that database of his that would prepare him for a situation like that." Houtarou supresses a laugh. "I also doubt it they would do that in school. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Ibara proably kissed him when she gave him his chocolate—a heat of the moment kind of thing. They held each other close and Satoshi's face couldn't handle how sincere and intimate that was… and neither could Ibara."

"So why was she not in the room? Was she not at the library?"

"Ibara was only in the library after she made sure we entered the room. She probably hid somewhere since she was red all over and I think she feels that I am entitled to tell her I am right."

"What's that got to do with it?" They turned at the next stoplight.

"Earlier today, Ibara called me about giving him chocolate."

—o0o—

The phone rang at 5:30 in the morning. Houtarou's sister Tomoe woke him up to receive a call from Ibara. He found this unusual, since the only two people who call him are Chitanda and Satoshi, no one else.

_"Oi, Oreki."_ She says with her trademark snarky tone, which she uses only towards him.

"It's way too early for your snark, Ibara. What is it?" Houtarou sheepishly replied.

_"Orekiii… this is a serious conversation. I'm kind of worried about today."_

"Today?"

_"It's Valentine's Day you idiot."_

"Oh? Oh yeah." He groaned.

She sighs in frustration. _"What if it turned out like the last two years?"_

Houtarou cleared up his throat. "You mean the chocolate thing or the feelings thing?"

_"Both."_

"Well, if he messes up, you know what I'll do to him."

_"Haha I have yet to see you try."_ She laughs.

"Just put your faith in him. It'll be fine."

_"That's what everybody says."_

"Were you expecting me to say the opposite? Would you like me to?"

_"No thanks. I'm good. See ya later, Oreki."_

—o0o—

"Oh," Chitanda says after he told her of the phone call. After the next turn we stop at the stop sign. "This is my stop." She smiles, pointing at the stop sign. Houtarou laughs assuming it was a pun. "Thanks for walking me home."

Houtarou gives her a faint trace of a smile. "It's no problem."

"Oh yeah, before I forget," she searches her bag and pulls it out, "My family doesn't normally give out anything for Valentine's but here," she hands me chocolate in the shape of a dove. "

"Umm, thank you." Houtarou looks at it with wide eyes. He wasn't used to receiving chocolates since no one but his sister gives him chocolate (and it's not even the sweet kind of chocolate). She smiles and bids him adieu. He watched her ride her bike off into the northern fields as the sky turned pink and sun nearing the lines of horizon. He turned and looked at the chocolate he held in his hands.

It wasn't giri.

* * *

**A/N: **I thought since it was almost Valentine's day, I'd write something Valentine's day related to fill the void of staying at home during this week (not that I mind though). Ah how I miss this series.

Also, this story is set in their second year. I actually had to calculate when the anime series panned out for this haha. I also read the novels, but only the first two because they're the ones that have complete English translations. I have read a bit of chapter three though. I hope they haven't dropped translating it yet!

Chapter 2 coming soon.

Love lots, bittersaccharine.


	2. Alternate Universes

**Chapter 2**

{ Alternate Universes }

* * *

Houtarou turned around and rode his bike the other direction. By the time he reached home, it was nightfall and Tomoe, his sister, was eagerly waiting to tease him about not getting any chocolate. The sound of Houtarou opening the door and removing his shoes signals Tomoe to dash towards the door. She is surprised to find chocolate in his hand, and it isn't even the cheap kind.

Houtarou notices his sister approaching. "Come to give me bitter chocolate again as consolation?"

Tomoe snatches the chocolate from his hand and gasps. "Oh my! Someone actually gave you honmei! Are you sure you didn't buy this from the store to tease me?"

"No, someone actually gave it to me so be careful with that!" He snatched it back from his sister's clutches.

Tomoe was dumbstruck at the sight of the honmei chocolate. "Houtarou received honmei… the world is coming to an end." She dramatically finds her way to the sofa and slumps. Houtarou rolled his eyes and went to his room.

—o0o—

Mayaka waited for Satoshi to come out of the classroom. She leaned by the back door of his classroom, listening keenly to the sound of his footsteps and laughter approaching her. She glances every now and again until her precious Fuku-chan was the one who passed through. Mayaka grabs him by the wrists and pulls him in front to face her.

"Mayaka—" Satoshi was caught by surprise.

"Can we talk somewhere else? No running away." Goddamn, she knew him too well. There was no point in running anyway. If he did, he'll expect a beating from Houtarou and a lecture from Chitanda. This time around, he thought he should learn how to not hurt Mayaka. She, still pulling Satoshi by the wrist, takes him to the clubroom on the fourth floor.

She closes the door to make it private. Satoshi felt the sweat fall down from his face. The weather was cold and yet his sweat dripped like he was experiencing summer's sweltering hot heat wave. He wasn't sure he was ready for something like this. He was expecting three words. All it takes is three words to make him tremble—whether or not he trembles with fear or trembles with ecstasy, that he'll find out in a matter of seconds.

Mayaka took out a rose tinted transparent bag with a round shaped honmei chocolate in it. She had a small card tied with a cute little ribbon, which had a red and white polkadot pattern on it. Satoshi paused from overthinking things because if he didn't he was sure he'd hurt her again.

_Get a hold of yourself_, Satoshi told himself. _You like her_.

"The last time I gave you this it became somewhat of a mystery drama." She looks away as she hands the chocolate to him. Satoshi received it calmly. "When you called me that night, you said that we should take it slow. To tell you the truth, I was overjoyed. You finally accepted my feelings." Mayaka's lips formed a smile. "I just want you to know that I love you, faults and all."

"Listen, Mayaka," he said with utmost sincerity, "for all this time, I was afraid of letting you in my inner bubble because I was afraid I'd become obsessed and drive you away. Remember I told you the stories of the times I went to the arcade with Houtarou? When he'd win, I'd obsessively resolve myself to rematch until I beat him? That was the old me I was afraid I'd revert to. You're a good girl, Mayaka, one I'm not even deserving of. I didn't want to lose you. I was just—"

Mayaka cups his face with her small gentle hands and kisses him on tiptoes, catching him by surprise. Satoshi puts his hands on her waist and pulls her closer, kissing her back.

"Afraid?" Mayaka said reassuringly. "Don't be."

Mayaka leans in and kisses him once more before heading off to fulfill her duties to the library. They were both flushed—first kisses are fleeting. Mayaka was about to walk down the stairs when she heard Oreki and Chii-chan's voice echoing in the stairwell. "Do you think those two will be okay?" She heard Chitanda ask Oreki. As she saw their heads bobbing from the foot of the staircase, she rushed towards the girls' bathroom, which was nearby. Heaven forbid she would show herself to Oreki after her first kiss. Mayaka didn't want to see that 'I told you so' look on his face. He did, after all, tell her to have faith in Satoshi and that he wouldn't trample on her feelings anymore. She hid in one of the stalls until she was sure that Oreki and Chitanda were already in the clubroom. No one could wipe off the smile on her face.

—o0o—

Satoshi was staring out the window of his room, holding the chocolate Mayaka had given him. It was in the shape of a circle with a heart embossed on it. She's getting better at making these, he thought. He had tasted it while looking at the pale moonlight. It was sweet, just like Mayaka. When the chocolate touched his lips, he felt the kiss lingering on him.

It was his _first_.

It was _their_ first.

There was a card attached to the vinyl bag. He opened it and read,

_Chii-chan and I were talking about the possibility of multiple alternate universes the other day. You and I, and everyone else are in every one of those universes. We discussed how there are countless of alternate realities and how each one is different. Out of the myriad of universes, this is the one where you and I are together. I am glad this universe is my reality. _

_Happy Valentine's Day~_

_Love,_

_Mayaka_

* * *

**A/N:** I didn't realize I made chapter 2 so short ahaha. Chapter 3 is on the works and I think I may be able to post that before Valentine's Day heehee :

-bittersaccharine


	3. A Single Infinity

**Chapter 3**

{ A Single Infinity }

* * *

It was a cold morning, too cold for the likes of Houtarou. For most of his classes, he just watched the snow gently drift downwards from the cloudy gray sky. Mayaka approached him during break and hit him on the head. "Oi, Oreki, have you been paying attention? Most of this will end up on the finals, you know."

Satoshi waltzed in and grabbed the seat behind Houtarou. Ibara followed suit and sat next to Satoshi. Houtarou noticed that the two were still shy around each other. "You don't have to tell me you're going out. Chitanda and I know already, save yourself the energy." He told them. Both of his friends were caught in shock and blushed. Satoshi choked at the statement. Houtarou stifled a laugh. "Just tone down the lovey dovey stuff alright?"

Then they all laughed.

—o0o—

After class, it was just Oreki and Chitanda at the clubroom, sitting across and casually glancing at each other. Satoshi had just left the Geology Prep lab to walk Mayaka home after her work at the library. It suddenly fell silent in the clubroom and Houtarou was feeling the awkward tension. Chitanda, trying to avoid all the awkwardness, continued to scribble equations in her notebook. His eyes fell on the stack of books that Chitanda had borrowed from the library. Some of the titles were along the lines of Pre-Calculus and Basic Accounting, which were some advanced stuff. Houtarou remembered last April, under the cherry blossom tree, which were out of season, in full bloom, she told him about her plans to pursue the sciences of farming. He assumed that she was preparing herself for that future.

"The books," Houtarou pointed out.

"Ah, I'm going to be taking advanced science classes next year. Also, I think it wouldn't hurt to learn accounting." She looks at the books and gives him a faint trace of a smile.

"I see you're preparing yourself already."

"Yes. My parents expect me to become a competent heiress and I don't want to fail them."

Houtarou scanned through some of the books while Chitanda was trying to answer the questions in the book. He looks up from the book and watched her, as she is hard at work. Strands of her hair fell to her face and she swept it back to her ear. It was cute the way she studied; it was serious, but cute. "So… about the chocolate." he said, out of the blue.

The lead of Chitanda's mechanical pencil snapped and its echo bounced off the walls of the Geology Prep room. "Yes?" She awkwardly puts on a smile.

"They weren't giri."

"I'm quite aware. I made it myself." She said proudly. "Did you like it?" Her eyes twinkled and filled with animosity was a sign that she was hoping for a good response. Her chocolate was laudable, as expected of Chitanda. Her skills in cooking did not fail her. Houtarou had to admit that it wasn't the typical chocolate you'd find in stores.

"Yes," Houtarou answered. Chitanda may or may not be avoiding more questions. Since Houtarou has always been the one to answer to her curiosity, she felt obliged to give an honest answer. Chitanda began to tap the pencil nervously, which Houtarou noticed. "So why?" He continued.

Chitanda grinned. "Are you curious?"

"I guess you could say I am."

Chitanda took a deep breath and mustered up some courage to say, "I assumed you knew why people give honmei. I like you, Oreki-kun" before she left the room. Oreki, still holding one of her borrowed calculus books, sat still until he processed everything that just happened. He realized that he still has her book and considered going after her. Chitanda might probably be halfway to her house by now. That would cost him much of his energy. Also, he wasn't sure whether Chitanda was ready to face him so soon after a confession. Houtarou started to play with the front tufts of his brown hair—what if he was meant to chase after her?

Even so, he had an idea.

It dawned a new day over Kamiyama. The weekends were quiet in the Chitanda household. Eru's parents were out on a meeting with the other three 'exponential clans,' as Satoshi would have put it. It was serene and peaceful, a perfect atmosphere to study. Chitanda's study materials were laid out on the kotatsu and her books were neatly arranged and held together by bookends. Every now and again, she would glance at the books and would feel off about it. After counting the books, she realizes something was missing.

The doorbell rang.

She quickly put on a red flannel coat over her warm white cable knit sweater and boots. Rushing to the gate, Chitanda was genuinely surprised to find a shivering Houtarou outside her door. She gestured him inside so they could talk in the warmth of a heater. "Oreki-kun, what are you doing here?" She asked

"I'm sorry I came unannounced," he apologized. Houtarou pulled out a book from his satchel and handed it to Chitanda. "You forgot your calculus book. Also, I thought I could study with you."

Chitanda wasn't expecting an answer like that to come from him. Naturally, they both study alone. Chitanda wasn't only studying for the finals but she was also learning advanced courses to prepare her for the next year. In the cloakroom, Houtarou took off his coat and scarf and hung it next to Chitanda's coat. "You go on ahead to the room down the corridor. I'll catch up with you in a bit. I think you still remember the way." She says. He walked narrow hall towards the room where they once held a meeting on the mystery of Chitanda's uncle and his connection to Hyouka, their anthology.

Houtarou was glad to feel the warmth of the kotatsu on his feet. It was another cold day in Kamiyama; the whole city was covered in a thin layer of snow for it had rained snow overnight. Houtarou and the cold just don't mix. He took a look at the papers she had piled up. They were outlines of her notes, each of a different subject. These reviewers made the lessons easier to understand and remember. He applauded Chitanda's study methods. It's no wonder why she's one of the top students of Kamiyama High. There was one paper that stood out; it is as if the calculations must fill in every white space there is on the paper. Written in black ink were her derivations and differentiations. It was the only paper that wasn't neat; Chitanda had crossed out her mistakes several times forming big X's. Hearing Chitanda's footsteps, Houtarou organized the papers and placed it where it originally was.

Chitanda sat across Houtarou, who was already resting his head on the table. "I thought we were going to study!" Chitanda laughed.

"Are we going to study calculus?" asks Oreki.

She raised her eyebrow. "Eh? Shouldn't we be studying subjects for the finals? If it's math or science, I could help you with that."

"I thought we could study calculus together. It's still a little early to study for finals if you ask me." Houtarou said.

"It's never too early to learn." She replied with a twinkle in her eyes. Chitanda smiles then asks, "but why do you want to learn calculus?"

Houtarou hesitates and sighs. "Well, I–I was planning to take up business so I thought learning calculus will come in handy." He turns his head to the side to avoid looking at her curious eyes, which were pools of a nice shade of indigo.

"Why do you want to take up business? Now I'm curious." Chitanda leaned in. He glances at her then later regrets it because he couldn't say no to her sparkling protuberant eyes.

Still looking away, he hesitated for a bit and muttered, "Doll Festival."

Chitanda stopped to process what he meant. Doll Festival? What has that got to do with business? Was he planning to become the festival planner one day? Then it hit her. Under the out of season cherry blossom tree, she told him that she was bound to that place. She was born here and here she will return. It was then she decided that she would be taking up the sciences to make farming more efficient and produce excellent quality crops. "You want to take up business… for me?"

He looks at her and simply nodded his head. Chitanda looks down at her papers, blushes, and smiles. "So, is this a proposal?" She remarks. Houtarou looked at her with wide eyes. Chitanda jests, "I'm just kidding. We're still too young for that."

Houtarou sighs in relief. He would hate to tell her that he wasn't ready for that sort of commitment though a part of him kind of wanted that sort of ending.

"Here, I'll teach you something." She tears a page from her notebook and writes down 'the limit of x squared plus x as x approaches infinity,' then slides it towards Houtarou. "When you plug in the limit as x approaches infinity, x squared plus x becomes ∞ squared plus ∞, in other words—"

"—a single infinity." Houtarou said without hesitation.

"Yes. A big number plus a big number is still a big number. It's like multiple infinities merge into one single infinity." Chitanda smiles at him.

Noticing her hair, Houtarou guides the stray strands that cascaded to Chitanda's face to the back of her ear. Chitanda pauses her lesson as Houtarou leans in and holds her warm calloused hands. "This is hard for me to say. You left me yesterday without a chance to return my sentiments." He whispers, "I like you too, Chitanda."

Chitanda leans in and lets their foreheads touch. Her eyes met his and she looked into his green eyes. "You have an infinity to tell me that."

* * *

**A/N**: That's it. That's the finale of my first chapter fic in ages. As promised, I finished it before Valentine's day heehee :D I am such a nerd for including calculus into my writing hahaha! I told my friend it could be done *insert maniacal laugh here* I could hear her say "NERD" in the distance...

Thanks for reading my short Hyouka fic! I'm not going to mark this as complete yet, since I love you all... and because I love you all there's still an epilogue in the works~

Have I mentioned how much I love you for reading thus far?

Happy *advanced* Valentine's Day everyone!

Love lots,

bittersaccharine


	4. Epilogue: Spring Melodies

—o0o—

**Epilogue**

{ Spring Melodies }

* * *

Houtarou was searching the contents of his bag when Satoshi dropped by and said, "It's White Day! Have you seen Mayaka around?" Satoshi searched the room for his beloved with a bag of white chocolate truffles and a long stemmed rose.

"I'm here, you idiot." Mayaka waves her hands furiously in the air while feeling as if she had become invisible. Fuku-chan laughs and hands her the chocolate first. "For you, my lady." He smiles then gives her the red rose. Mayaka blushes in front of him. _Finally, a proper White Day_, she thought. Meanwhile, Houtarou sighed in relief as he found that the chocolate he brought hasn't melted or broke into pieces in his bag and the peonies he got weren't wilted nor squished by the books inside.

Noticing this, Satoshi gapes. "Houtarou, is that actual chocolate you're going to give to an actual person?" He says in shock.

"Someone gave me chocolate a month ago." Oreki replied.

Satoshi gasps. "Someone willingly gave you chocolate last Valentine's Day? I am shocked!" Normally, Houtarou was used to his teasing but somehow today, it just got more annoying than usual.

Before Houtarou could retort, Ibara intervened, "Believe it or not, Oreki has a girlfriend." Houtarou snarled at Ibara's grimace.

"HOUTAROU HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND?" Satoshi yelled so loud the room suddenly became silent and everyone in the room suddenly turned to Houtarou. Well there goes every last bit of his gray life.

"Pipe down you moron! You're attracting attention!" Oreki slapped Satoshi at the back of his head.

"But having a girlfriend is the final nail in the coffin on your dull gray life, my friend. How come I was not aware of this? Houtarou has a girlfriend… the world is totally ending." Satoshi slumped on the chair next to Houtarou.

Mayaka snickers. "I know right."

Oreki sighed. There was no point in appeasing his friends; it would waste more energy. "God, you don't have to poke fun at it. We agreed to take it slow and keep it on the down low for now but I guess you didn't scream loud enough for the whole world to know."

Satoshi laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He apologizes.

"Ah, so you're taking this the Satoshi way?" Ibara jests.

"Yeah, but minus the drama." Oreki and Ibara laughed.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." Satoshi said dryly.

"Oh, before I forget," Mayaka interjected, "thanks for the wonderful gifts, Fuku-chan!" She wraps her arms around him and kisses him on the cheek. Satoshi became flushed. While those two lovebirds were busy doing romantic things, Oreki managed to slip out of the classroom without Satoshi and Ibara noticing.

He sneaks his way towards the next classroom and peaks into the room. Chitanda's indigo eyes spotted him at the door. She instinctively approaches him. "Hi, Oreki-kun! Is something the matter?" Chitanda says as they step outside the classroom.

Houtarou's cheeks turned pink as he was giving the chocolate and flowers to Chitanda. He couldn't fathom why he was this nervous for doing some mundane tradition. Besides the fact that his sister, Tomoe obliged him to give her chocolate because she was convinced that 'there may never come a chance for a girl to give you honmei again,' he believes that maybe if he played his cards right, everything will fall into place without much effort.

But his sister's voice echoed in his head. _"Love requires your time and energy."_

Houtarou averted his eyes. "I know you're not supposed to give and receive chocolates but…"

"Thank you," Chitanda interrupted and accepted the honmei chocolate that Tomoe had helped him make. Help was an understatement.

"_If you really care about this girl, you should be willing to sacrifice that much."_ Tomoe's voice resonated once more.

He had to face the facts. His gray colored high school life ended just as his high school days started: the day he met the girl that stood in front of him, with curious protuberant pools of indigo, black hair that cascaded to the middle of her back, and a smile eagerly waiting for an answer to her questions. Houtarou realizes that he never had that gray high school life to begin with and now feels like he it's a waste of energy to go back to that dull life.

Satoshi and Mayaka were hiding behind the post, watching their friends do what looked like a confession. "Wait—wait, they're really a thing?" Satoshi whispers.

"I'm almost a 100% sure." She replies with much certainty.

"I can't believe he was open to her like that. That's so unlike him. Oh my gosh, Mayaka! What do you think happened to our Houtarou?"

Houtarou heard whispers and turns around. Satoshi and Mayaka retracted their peeping heads, hid behind the post, and prayed that Oreki wouldn't come closer to find out that they've been spying on them. Chitanda, their saving grace, asked Houtarou, "Do you want to go to Pineapple Cafe later, Houtarou?" She smiles. This was the first time she has ever called him Houtarou.

"Why the sudden urge?"

"Are you curious?"

"Quite." Houtarou smiles.

Chitanda entered the classroom. With her hand still touching the door, she says, "Well, you'll have to come with me to find out."

Well played, Houtarou thought.

Satoshi looked at Mayaka with wide eyes. "Oh wow," he exclaimed, "they're actually going out!"

Mayaka massaged her temples and gave a deep sigh. "No duh, genius. Who else would be interested in that idiot?" Houtarou went back to his seat without bothering to see who was eavesdropping. It was too much of an effort for him to check. Assuming his hunch was right, he wouldn't really need to know. He wasn't particularly curious or interested. Mayaka and Satoshi tried their best to stay hidden. "Do you think he noticed us?" Mayaka asks.

"Maybe he hasn't… but I wouldn't be so sure. If it's Houtarou we're talking about, he probably has it figured out already and dropped the whole thing because it requires tapping his energy resources." Satoshi jests.

"What do you think they're going to do later though? Doesn't it make you curious?"

Satoshi smiles at her. "Of course it does. I've always known Chitanda-san has Houtarou wrapped around her finger since they first met. Apparently, he still is." He laughs. "Do you think they're going to…" He whispers something to Mayaka, which makes her cringe in disgust.

"Oh god, no. Fuku-chan!" She hits his shoulder. "We're all too young for that. Seriously, Fuku-chan, it worries me that you're into things like that."

"Don't get the wrong idea." He smiles mischievously.

—o0o—

The bell rings the last time for today and the students start to flock the exits of the classroom, Houtarou one of them. Satoshi and Mayaka exchanged looks. All systems go. The plan to stalk Houtarou has just been initiated.

They made sure to keep their distance—far enough for him not to notice and short enough to see where he's going. Houtarou has just made a right at the stoplight. Satoshi pauses and grabs several things out of his bag. While Mayaka puts on a new mint green cardigan, which she has never worn in front of the other three, Satoshi hands her a pair of non-prescription glasses, a white scarf, and a white sun hat embellished with a fake sunflower and orange ribbon wrapped around it. She puts them on while Satoshi donned a navy blue trench coat with a gray wool scarf wrapped around his neck and sported aviator sunglasses, which made him, look like a loosely based Sherlock Holmes.

"Where on earth did you get these?" Mayaka asks.

"Some of these I borrowed from the sewing club. These were meant for the the kids at the theater club."

The duo had made a considerable distance between them and Houtarou. As they tiptoed towards Houtarou, Satoshi steps on a twig. Hearing the crackle, Oreki stops and turns to find no one there. The bushes rustle as Mayaka and Satoshi hurriedly hid behind them. Houtarou decides to ignore it the fact that he's being followed and continues to walk the path to the cafe. Satoshi peaks from the bushes and tells Mayaka that the coast is clear.

Mayaka spots Houtarou entering the rustic cafe. Fixing their disguises, they entered the cafe and briefly looked around to locate Houtarou and secure a seat. Chitanda and Houtarou sat at the table in the corner. Satoshi leads her to a table, two tables apart from them. "Could you hear them?" Satoshi leans in.

"A bit. Now shhh, they're talking about something."

The barista had just served them a cup of hot chocolate and a cup of black coffee. Chitanda fiddles around with her spoon and looks at Houtarou. "Have you thought about which university you're going to apply for next year?"

Houtarou sighs. "So this is what you wanted to ask me in private?"

"Yes! I didn't feel like bringing this up in the clubroom because I didn't want to make it feel like we're all leaving so soon." Chitanda takes a sip of her hot chocolate and looks away.

Houtarou wasn't exactly sure how to respond but manages to make a reply anyway. "I haven't given it much thought. I might just stay here since it's closer to home, but I have been thinking about applying to Tokyo or Kyoto."

"I've been thinking the same thing!" Chitanda rejoices.

In the not so far off distance, one could hear Mayaka and Satoshi's expectation bubbles pop. Mayaka thought this was going to be a romantic date while Satoshi, well, he thought of something more than just a date. Both expectations were so off it kind of upsets them. As the two slumped at their tables, Houtarou calls out to them. "Ibara, Satoshi, you can come out now."

Satoshi turns his head to face Houtarou and guiltily smirks. "I guess we're busted."

Ibara and Satoshi take off their disguises as they make their way to their table. Satoshi takes a seat next to Houtarou and Ibara next to Chitanda, just like the seating arrangement in the clubroom.

"Eh? They were here all along?" Chitanda was caught by surprise.

"Sorry Chitanda-san! We were curious." Satoshi tells her.

"Here I thought you were on a date with this fool." Mayaka jumped in on the conversation and gestures to Oreki.

Chitanda circled the rim of the cup with the tip of her index finger. "But we are on a date." She blushes. Oreki choked on the coffee he was drinking knowing that Satoshi was going to make fun of him later. Mayaka gaped. "But now that we're all here, we could go on a double date!" Chitanda smiles.

They all turned red. This would be the first time they're ever going to do this and Houtarou wonders whether this is going to be a thing from now on. They found themselves caught in an awkward silence. This went on for a while until Houtarou, to their surprise, made a statement. "Why don't we just pretend like we're in the clubroom instead of a date? That should make things simpler." They exchanged looks and agreed their course of action.

And so they went on chatting until in turned dark in Kamiyama. Each of them said their goodbyes and parted ways. Satoshi walks Mayaka home and Houtarou with Chitanda. Chitanda, holding her bike at the handles while walking, tells Houtarou, "You don't have to go with me. Isn't your place around this area?"

"It's fine. It's getting dark, Chitanda, I'll walk you to the last junction." He paused and instinctively held her hand. "I'm sorry I attracted enough attention to Satoshi and Ibara to meddle with—" he trails off, "—our date."

"It's fine. If you think about it, it's kind of inevitable." She kids. "You know you could make up for it later though. We could go somewhere where only we know sometime during the weekends so we won't be followed."

"Somewhere only we know?" Houtarou asks. "Where would that be?"

"I don't know. We'll go on an adventure and find it!" She suggests.

"That sounds like a lot of work."

"We'll take it one step at a time. I don't want you to lose your energy."

Houtarou releases a sigh of relief. "I guess that sounds good to me."

They reach the stoplight near the path to Chitanda's house. "Here is far enough. I'll see you tomorrow at school then?"

"Chitanda, tomorrow is a Saturday."

Chitanda tilts her head. "Oh right! Well, I'll still see you tomorrow then?" She smiles at him and lets go of his hand. Oreki nods in response. She stands on her tiptoes and embraces him, wrapping her arms around him. Houtarou felt the Chitanda's warmth spread to his body. Thinking he had to do something to make this not awkward, he put hugs her back. "Take care on the way home." She whispers to his ear. She leans back and lets both her hands find their way to Houtarou's.

Houtarou's cheeks turned a light pink. "I think that's supposed to be my line." He said. "I'll see you tomorrow… Eru."

Chitanda's smile slowly widened and without thinking kisses him under the clear star speckled sky. "Goodnight." She said as her hands break away from his.

The words resonated in Houtarou's mind: _"You have an infinity to tell me that."_

* * *

**A/N:** I think I made it in time for White day lol. I haven't been writing because of quizzes, final reports, and midterms all crammed in the span of the last update to this one. College is seriously killing my free time.

Again, thank you so much for reading all this fluffiness and following this story up to the end! You guys are awesome!

Happy White Day everybody!

Love lots,

bitter-saccharine 3


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